A microfluidic platform to investigate the role of mechanical constraints on tissue reorganization

Abstract

Mechanical constraints have a high impact on development processes, and there is a need for new tools to investigate the role of mechanosensitive pathways in tissue reorganization during development. We present here experiments where embryonic cell aggregates are aspired through constrictions in microfluidic channels, generating heterogeneous flows and cell deformations that can be imaged using biphoton microscopy. This tool provides a way to measure in situ local viscoelastic properties of 3D tissues and connect them to intercellular and extracellular events such as cell shape changes and cell rear-rangements. Perspectives include applications on organoids to investigate and quantify rheological properties of tissues, and to understand how constraints affect development.